What's This?
by NotOneLineFF
Summary: After discovering that Lucifer usually spends Christmas alone, Chloe ropes him in to help her with preparations for the holidays.
1. Chapter 1

"What's this?"

Lucifer approached the Detective's desk, where she and Miss Lopez were both huddled together looking at something on a phone screen. The Detective appeared to startle at the sound of his voice; she obviously hadn't heard him walking up behind them. He was no quieter than he had been before, but now that she knew the truth, she often seemed skittish around him.

Perhaps it was his imagination.

He hoped that it was.

"Ella was just showing me some old photos of her family's tree back home," the Detective explained, before passing the phone back to her friend.

Pictures back in her possession, Miss Lopez promptly decided it was his turn, and... well, it was certainly unlike any tree he'd ever seen before. There was colour everywhere; gaudy baubles were jammed in next to glittering ribbons, which in turn wound themselves around masses of tinsel, leaving barely any foliage on display. He wasn't even sure that it _was_ a tree, for any branches that were left visible appeared to be just as plastic as the decorations that adorned them. The entire concoction managed to clash terribly with the multitude of electric lights on strings strung across every available surface, leaving what could only be described as visual torture for whoever was looking at it.

Which unfortunately, was him.

"Well it certainly is…" he started. The Detective's eyes widened, and she shook her head, just a fraction. "...Vibrant?" he ventured.

Ella grinned happily. "I know, right?! Every year me and my brothers compete to see who can bring back the biggest, tackiest decoration. Whoever wins gets to switch on the lights!" She paused, frowning. "Or fix the lights, most of the time. Still, I totally have it in the bag this year!"

With that, she dashed off into the lab, emerging a few seconds later with something so hideous that Lucifer was certain it must feature in one of the many Christmas Hell loops he'd come across in his time. Despite his disdain for the holiday, he had always felt a special affinity for that particular form of punishment. After all, what could be more tortuous than being forced to spend time with family?

Miss Lopez attempted to hand him the… thing, but he quickly sidestepped in order to allow his partner to take the blow. He'd never touched tinsel before, but there was no doubt in his mind that around the Detective, he'd be allergic to it.

"Wow, Ella, it's certainly… something!" she said, before catching his eye and biting her lip as she tried to keep herself from laughing. He too felt the urge bubble up inside himself, and he quickly endeavoured to hold it back, lest he offend Miss Lopez. He knew that if the Detective broke though, so would he. Her laughter was as irresistible to him as... well, _everything _about her really.

"C'mon you guys! I know it's bad. But that's the point, isn't it? Christmas is full of traditions, they're important! Mine just happens to be…" Miss Lopez deflated a little. "...Better looking to the colourblind, is all."

Hopping up from her chair, the Detective wrapped her arms around the forensic scientist. "Well _I_ think it's great. And you're right. It's important to have traditions."

Miss Lopez hugged her back tightly. "What about you, are you and Trixie up to anything special this year?"

The Detective smiled. "It's just me, Dan, and Trixie this year. Mom can't make it back in time, and Dan's parents are spending it with his grandparents. That's okay though, I prefer a quiet family Christmas anyway. Family is what it's all about after all."

"You're damn straight it is!" Miss Lopez said with a grin. "What about you, Lu?"

He froze. Partly because Miss Lopez had referred to him yet again as "Lu", something which had started not long after she found out Azrael was his sister, and something which he disliked intensely, but also because he genuinely didn't know how to answer the question without leaving her feeling sorry for him. Which was another thing he wasn't exactly fond of.

"Oh the usual," he replied, brushing it off and hoping it would be enough to assuage her.

Which of course, it wasn't.

…

As soon as Ella asked the question, Chloe felt awful. In all the time she'd known him, had she ever asked what he was doing for Christmas? Partying and women, that's what she'd always assumed. And perhaps that was true. It would certainly be better than doing—

"Nothing," he admitted, after Ella pestered him further, somewhat reluctantly judging by his tone. "In the past my companions have always tended to be busy, and on the years I have chosen to open Lux, very few people show up, for some inexplicable reason."

"Aw, dude, that's awful! I'd invite you to Detroit, but y'know, my Abuelita… the Devil…"

"I perfectly understand, Miss Lopez. The thought is appreciated though." He smiled fondly before hesitantly placing a hand on Ella's shoulder. She immediately beamed brightly at him. Chloe had noticed how much closer they'd grown lately; in fact, when she thought about it, he spent almost as much time in the lab with the scientist as he did by her desk these days.

There was no jealousy there for her now though. For one thing, Lucifer and Ella seemed to have more of a brother/sister relationship than anything else. And as for the other… well, she'd be kidding herself if she said that she didn't already know the Devil's heart belonged to her.

And hers to him, of course.

She just hadn't found a way to tell him that yet.

Tell him in a way that would make him _believe_ her.

"You could come to ours," she blurted out, without really stopping to think it through. It wasn't until she said it out loud though that she realised how much she actually wanted him to be there. Yes, she didn't want him to spend the day alone, but more than that, she wanted him there with _her_. After all the months she'd spent away from him last year, while she took the time to come to terms with her new reality, she now found herself missing him whenever he wasn't by her side. Even at Christmas, it seemed.

"That's very kind of you, Detective," he said, with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "But as you said, Christmas is for family." He paused for a moment, his gaze shifting away from her. "The Devil has no family."

She opened her mouth to argue with him, but Ella got there first. "What about your brother?"

He huffed. "Amenadiel will most likely be in the Silver City. He spends the majority of his time there these days." There was an underlying sadness to his voice, betraying the fact he missed his brother more than he would likely ever admit. "He might pop in for a flying visit though." He smiled genuinely then, overly pleased with his own pun.

"And Ray-Ray?"

"My sister will no doubt be as busy as she is any other day. You humans don't exactly take break from dying for the holidays."

Ella frowned at that. "But she always vis—"

She ground to a halt as Lucifer's face dropped slightly. One second later though and his mask was back in place, leaving him the picture of easy going joviality once more. "Azrael always has time for you, Miss Lopez. As do I, I hope you realise."

"Thanks, buddy!" Ella threw her arms around the Devil before he could react, giving him the hug that had been pretty much inevitable from the beginning. He no longer flinched as much as he used to though, Chloe noted with a smile. It was about time he got used to receiving hugs from someone other than her.

Releasing Lucifer before the squirming started, Ella looked towards the pile of evidence bags stacked up on the nearby table and rolled her eyes. "This lot ain't gonna catalogue itself I suppose," she said with a put upon sigh, still managing to sound chirpy despite the task ahead of her. Grabbing as much as she could carry, she headed off towards the lab.

Lucifer moved to help her, but Chloe took hold of his arm. "Wait a minute." He glanced down to where she was touching him, and she immediately let go. When exactly he'd become uncomfortable with her doing that, she didn't know, but she suspected it had something to do with the conversation they'd had a few months ago when they decided to be friends again. Just friends, nothing more. That last part he'd insisted on.

Because if he thought he wasn't worthy of her before he took Cain's life, he certainly didn't now.

And he refused to change his mind on that.

"You're sure?" she asked. "That you don't want to join us?"

Casting one last look towards the lab, he fell down into his usual chair with a sigh. "Detective, I have no desire to spend my time paying homage to a fictional event from a fictional book."

Her eyes narrowed. Well that was nothing if not confusing. She leaned over the desk, beckoning him closer. "But I thought," she whispered, "it was all _real_."

He threw his head back, laughing. "Dragons were once _real_, Detective. Yet you don't see humans across the globe celebrating Game of Thrones day every winter."

_Dragons were real_.

Right. Okay.

It said a lot that she was able to accept something like that now as if it were no big deal. Just another piece of information to add to the ever growing pile of things she once believed didn't exist. Nothing to freak out about whatsoever. Although, this one was pretty cool actually. Trixie was going to be thrilled.

Ella, having walked past just in time to catch the last part of what Lucifer was saying, ground to a halt. "Dude, NO. Have you _seen _Game of Thrones?" She shuddered. "I hate to think what George R.R. Martin's version of a white Christmas would be."

She wandered off to get more bags, leaving Lucifer chuckling at the idea, before turning his attention back to Chloe. "Still, the point stands. The characters might be real, but the plot differs immensely. After all, if the bible were fact, why would the most important person barely be in it?"

"Pretty sure God's in the bible, dude," Ella called out as she headed back to the lab again.

Chloe closed her eyes and put her head in her hands. "You mean you, don't you? Of course you mean you."

When she looked up he was grinning at her. Then gradually his face grew sombre again. "So you see, Detective, you needn't feel obligated to include me in your celebrations," he said, adding a small smile at the end.

"I don't—"

She stopped as he moved forward and placed a hand on top of hers, shaking his head. Savouring the touch she had missed so much, she stroked her thumb along the side of his, and he quickly pulled away again.

"At least join us for…" she scrambled for a reason, any reason to spend some time with him. "...The preparations?" She winced. Was that really the best she could come up with? "I have some time off next week anyway," she said, rushing to explain, "so there won't be anything to do around here."

"Will Daniel not be here?" he asked, avoiding her eyes as he idly played with the pens on her desk.

Her heart sank. He'd rather be with Dan than with her? Honestly, it felt like every time they took a step forward in their relationship lately, they just ended up going back further again. Both of them were on tenterhooks around each other constantly, and she was getting tired of it.

"He will," she said, glancing in the direction of her ex, who started frantically shaking his head at her, gesturing to the massive amount of paperwork he had sat in front of him. "So if you want to work with Dan, you can…" Lucifer sat up a little straighter. "But I could really use the help."

And there it was. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he'd already given in. Much had changed between them, but one thing remained the same; if she needed him, he was there.

"Of course," he said with a nod. "I will assist you in any way I can, Detective."


	2. Chapter 2

"What's this?"

Chloe looked up from rooting around in the trunk of her car to find the Devil leaning casually against a nearby fence. How he'd managed to approach so silently across a car park made of gravel, she hadn't a clue. She knew he had wings; she was pretty sure he didn't float.

"Got it Chlo'," shouted Dan from inside the vehicle, where he'd been busy checking the footwells. He emerged carrying an axe, and Lucifer's eyebrows shot up dramatically.

"Firstly," he said, "I am curious as to why you require my help when Daniel is here, Detective, and secondly, are you planning on murdering me and burying me out in these woods?" He gestured to the tree farm behind him. "Because I assure you, I am not so easily felled."

Chloe groaned; it was obviously going to be one of _those _weeks when it came to puns. She wracked her brain for an answer. "I thought you could help carry the tree to the car?" she said weakly. It was the only reply she could think of.

"Carry the tree to the… oh!" he exclaimed. "You're doing that queer little human thing of bringing a real tree inside your home and decorating it, aren't you?"

"It's called a Christmas tree, Lucifer. And you can't tell me you've never heard of one before, I know for a fact you were looking at Ella's yesterday," said Dan. "But yes. Trixie's at school, and this is the only morning I could get off work, so we need to get it up and ready for when she gets home."

"We always start off the holidays with the tree," Chloe explained further. "It's a tradition."

"And traditions are important," Lucifer said quietly to himself. Chloe caught it though, and smiled at him. It amazed her sometimes, how even after all this time he continued to be fascinated by the humans that surrounded him and the things they did. As if _they _were the ones who were unusual.

Then again, objectively speaking, lugging a tree into the apartment and covering it in tiny little things probably didn't make a whole lot of sense to an angel. Especially not an angel who was formerly the King of Hell.

"Shall we get on with it then?" she said. "Trixie has a half day, so we've only got a couple of hours until I need to pick her up."

Lucifer glanced down at what he was wearing with a grimace. "This suit isn't exactly made for sap."

"And you'd have worn something else if I'd told you what we were doing?" she countered, lifting an eyebrow at him.

"Touche, Detective, touche." He rubbed his hands together. "Right then!" he said eagerly. "Which tree are we going to slaughter?"

Chloe rolled her eyes and headed out in the field, her boys trailing behind her.

...

"What about this one?" said Dan, pointing to a medium sized tree not too far away.

"Too small!" Lucifer called out, without even looking at it. The Devil was on a mission, and she was willing to bet that it in no way lined up with her or Dan's expectations. He ducked in between two large trees and she lost sight of him.

Dan gave her an exasperated look and she smiled apologetically. "He is right though," she said with a shrug. He shook his head, sighed, and carried on searching.

Her ex-husband had dealt with the whole "Lucifer is really the Devil" thing much better than she'd expected, given his upbringing. He'd very quickly come to the conclusion that nothing had actually changed, and that his friend was still the same man he'd always been. If anything, he'd been _more _annoyed that he was the last one to find out. Within a couple of weeks everything was back to normal between the pair, which was a relief to everyone, but especially to Lucifer.

No matter how much he had tried to hide it.

What with the fact that Ella had gotten over it in less than a day, and Linda in about a week, Chloe often felt guilty about how long it had taken her to come back to him.

Then again, as Linda had pointed out, things for her were very different.

"Nothing too tall, Lucifer!" she shouted, knowing that really, there was no need to raise her voice at all. He'd hear her no matter where he was amongst these trees. "Otherwise Trixie will never reach the top!"

Lucifer popped his head around a tree ahead of them, a puzzled look upon his face. "Won't I just lift her?" he asked. Then, before Chloe could answer, he closed his eyes and he sighed, obviously chastising himself. "My apologies, Detective. I assumed-"

"That I'd want you there. Of course I do, Lucifer. You're always welcome."

He lit up so much that she could have sworn that even fairy lights couldn't have made the air around him brighter. She loved him like this.

_Loved him. _

It had a few weeks since she had finally admitted that to herself, and here she was thinking about it yet again. The problem was, that unlike that evening on the balcony, the one that felt like a lifetime ago now, she wasn't sure he wanted that from her anymore. Or rather, that he would allow himself too.

"_No one can love the Devil." _

That's what he'd told her. That's what he believed.

She was growing more determined by the day to find a way to prove him wrong.

"Detective! I believe I may have found the one!"

The sound of her partner's voice snapped her thoughts back to the present. He had disappeared through the trees again, but at least this time she knew the direction he'd headed.

Dan rested the axe on his shoulder and begrudgingly joined her as they made their way over to him. As soon as she saw Lucifer, she knew he was right. Not only was the tree he'd chosen the perfect shape, but it was almost the exact height of the ceiling in her apartment. You would have thought he'd spent time memorising the measurements.

She nodded, and Dan grinned, as happy with an axe in his hand as he was with a drill. Lucifer let him get as far as a couple of metres away before he smiled wickedly, reached out with his hand…

And pulled the entire thing out of the ground, roots and all.

Dan stopped in his tracks, staring in shock at the Devil standing there with an entire tree held in his hand like it was nothing. Which to him, it probably was.

Chloe, on the other hand, was trying to ignore the rush of heat that had run through her at the sight. She did _not_ find his show of strength irresistibly attractive.

She really didn't.

Lucifer winked at her, and not for the first time, she wondered if he could read her mind. He'd assured her before that he couldn't, and as he didn't lie… well, that was that really.

Sometimes though, she could swear…

"Aww, man!" Dan complained. "The one time of year I get to use this thing, and you go and-"

"You are more than welcome to source your own tree, Daniel. This one, however," Lucifer hoisted the tree up a little onto his shoulder, "is spoken for. The Detective asked me to help, and so here I am. Helping."

Dragging the axe behind him, Dan retreated, going back, she assumed, to chop down the tree he'd originally found. Lucifer followed her to the car, and together they carried out the necessary securements. When Dan finally joined them, Lucifer's eyes darted between the two trees, and he smirked.

He wasn't the only one who could read minds though, and she jumped in before he had chance to say anything. "Lucifer," she said, pretending to scold him. "Size doesn't matter, you know."

"Oh really, Detective?" he replied, his voice smooth as silk as he gracefully leaned back against the car. "It's funny, no one has ever said that to me before."

He waggled his eyebrows and she laughed, moving to stand beside him and resting her head on his shoulder.

This time, he didn't move away.

...

"What's this?"

Trixie had thrust what she'd been working on into Lucifer's hands almost as soon as he walked through the door, after her customary greeting of course. The Devil flinched less often now with enough warning, but she suspected her daughter purposefully liked seeing if she could catch him off guard.

"It's for the tree!" her monkey said excitedly. "Can you put on the top? I asked Mummy but you're soooo much taller and she doesn't have a ladder."

Lucifer looked at her and she shrugged; with him around so often, up until now she'd never needed one. Plus, she had to admit, it amused her no end that she had the lightbringer changing her lightbulbs.

Chloe watched carefully for his reaction as he examined the object in his hand. Ever since Trixie had suggested the idea she'd been nervous; as much as she thought she knew her partner, his response to his kind of thing was always a bit unpredictable.

He swallowed heavily as he handled the cardboard figure, his eyes darting between it and her daughter, until they finally landed on Chloe. His fingers twitched, and for a moment she though he was about to crush the facsimile of himself that he held in his hands, along with Trixie's hopes of including him in their festivities.

"You truly desire to have this…" he hesitated, reconsidering, "...to have _me_, upon your Christmas tree?"

Trixie nodded fervently. "Normally there's supposed to be angel on it, but Mummy made me take the wings off."

Chloe saw him glance towards the coffee table, where a pair of white wings, carefully constructed from a multitude of cardboard feathers, lay discarded. His expression became pained at the sight, and she immediately regretted not having hidden them before he arrived.

Instead, all she'd managed to do was remind him of what he had lost.

What he'd sacrificed.

To save her.

"But that's okay," her daughter continued, "because do you know what also goes on top of the tree?"

"What's that, child?" he asked, and she couldn't help but notice how carefully he was handling the decoration now; as if it were something precious.

"A star, silly!"

Trixie grinned at him, and he smiled kindly at her in return, before turning his eyes to Chloe once more. "Thank you, spawn," he said, hesitantly placing his hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Now run along now, I believe your mother requires your assistance more than she does mine."

Realising that she'd stopped rolling out the cookie dough she was working with quite some time ago, Chloe flushed as a beaming Trixie raced back into the kitchen. Who could blame her though? There was no mother on Earth who wouldn't have been distracted by the scene unfolding before her.

A few minutes went by with her surreptitiously glancing towards the tree every so often, until she finally saw Lucifer reaching for the top, carefully securing the miniature version of himself there. She heard him mumble something, before coming over to join them, and she quickly went back to sprinkling the latest batch of cookies with chocolate chips.

The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to stop Trixie from eating the raw cookie dough, followed by fighting Lucifer for the warm cookies straight out of the oven. Eventually it had become obvious that if she actually wanted any for Christmas she would have to start all over again, and she'd insisted the two of them go into the living room to watch a movie. Or rather, Lucifer had attempted to leave once there was nothing left to be eaten, and _Trixie _had insisted they watch a movie.

It would never fail to bring a smile to her face how much her daughter had the Devil wrapped around her little finger.

So it wasn't until later, as she watched the two of them curled up fast asleep together on the sofa, having eaten themselves into a sugar coma, that the 'star' on the tree caught her attention again.

A star that had regained its wings, and in addition, a newly coloured in red face.

Suddenly, what he'd said under his breath earlier finally made sense.

"_Maybe I can be both." _


	3. Chapter 3

"What's this?"

Chloe gave her partner the kind of deadpan look that she usually reserved for interviewing only the most idiotic of suspects. "It's snow, Lucifer."

"Well I know _that_, Detective, my question is what is it doing _here_, and why is it raining down on my suit like bloody ash?"

She watched as Lucifer dusted himself off for what felt like the thousandth time since they got here. Which was all of about five minutes ago. Behind him, a banner proclaimed the fairground they'd arrived at as "Christmas Town" and it felt like half of L.A. had decided to have the same idea she did when it came to picking a festive destination for the day.

The place was packed. Everywhere she looked there were children running, screaming, laughing. At one time it would have worried her, the possibility of losing her daughter amongst the masses, but thankfully her monkey was old enough now that she'd be able to find her way back to her should they get separated. Still, needing help to watch Trixie had been the excuse she had waiting for Lucifer if he asked.

Only he didn't. This time when she called he'd willingly agreed to come before she even had a chance to fully explain where they were going. It had given her hope that perhaps he was enjoying spending time together outside of work again as much as she was.

"You do remember that we live in Los Angeles, right? We don't exactly get much snow around here."

"One of the many reasons I chose to reside here, Detective."

He brushed the snow away from his suit jacket yet again, and she swore if he did it one more time she was going to rip the thing off him and force him to wear a Christmas jumper instead. Or just rip the thing off him. The shirt too maybe...

"And besides, as you can imagine, I'm accustomed to _much _warmer climates— Detective?"

At that, Chloe snapped back to reality, and quickly realised that while she'd been thinking about other… things, Lucifer had been listing the other reasons he'd made L.A. his home, and she hadn't been listening to a word of it. Thankfully, he hadn't seemed to notice the flush in her cheeks that betrayed the reason as to why.

"So the little creatures actually believe that just because there's white things in the air, that it's snow?" he asked, looking genuinely baffled.

"Of course they do," she said, watching as Trixie ran over to join some other children throwing snowballs in a nearby play area. "This is kind of stuff is magic when you're a kid. It's why things like Santa seem real."

"Ah yes. The jolly fat man who can apparently break into every home in the world in one night." He chuckled. "Humanity believes in the strangest things sometimes."

She lifted her eyebrows and stared at him.

At first he just stared back, but then realisation hit. "I am not _strange_, Detective."

The corner of her mouth twitched. "Yes, Lucifer, you're just like the rest of us," she said, patting him on the arm. Judging by the look on his face that was even worse, so she attempted to turn her consolement into another attempt at sweeping the snow off, doing her best to look as innocent as possible while doing it.

"Come on," she said goodnaturedly, taking a couple of steps forward and holding her hand out behind her. "We can wait for Trixie over there, away from the snow machines." She paused, waiting for him to take it, but nothing happened. When she turned, she saw him looking longingly at her offered hand, but keeping his own stuffed firmly in his pockets. His eyes flickered up to hers briefly, and then he walked past her, heading for the area she'd just indicated.

With a sigh, she followed, wishing that there was something she could do to break through the walls he'd built up. The walls that he thought were protecting her, when all they were actually doing was hurting her. Hurting both of them really. Yesterday she thought she'd made progress, but apparently that wasn't enough, not yet.

As she approached, Lucifer nodded at something behind her, and seconds later two arms were wrapped around her waist. "All done with the snow, monkey?" she said, smiling down at her now rosy cheeked daughter, breathless and happy from her icy battles with the other children.

"Uh huh," Trixie replied. "Can we go and see Santa now?"

Chloe frowned; last year she hadn't been bothered about seeing Santa at all. Much to her and Dan's dismay, she'd stopped believing quite some time ago, and she knew full well that if she wanted presents the best people to ask, or rather pester, were her parents.

It wasn't until her daughter sidled up to Lucifer and started tugging at his arm that she realised what was happening. Santa's grotto this time of year would be a nightmare, especially on a busy day like today. The Devil was about to get a taste of a different kind of torture, courtesy of a ten year old girl. Who, she gathered from the sly smile Trixie had just flashed back at her, knew _exactly _what she was doing.

Chloe sighed before hurrying after them both.

She really needed to stop letting Maze look after her so much.

…

The queue to see Santa was just as bad as she remembered. Screaming kids tired of waiting in line, crying toddlers who had very little interest in seeing the fat man in a red suit in the first place, and parents who were getting more irate by the second as far as the eye could see.

Lucifer however, seemed to be taking it all in his stride. When she questioned him about it, he merely shrugged, explaining that he was more than used to it. "You'd be surprised how many parents end up choosing this as their own personal Hell loop, Detective."

As a piercing shriek that came dangerously close to breaking the sound barrier filled the air, he shuddered. "Although I can see why."

Despite being fully aware that this was _not _the kind of conversation she should be having right now, she couldn't help herself. "They choose it themselves?" she asked, wondering how exactly that worked. Generally, she'd avoided asking questions about Hell too much. It wasn't that she didn't want to know, she just didn't like thinking of Lucifer that way. Ignorance, as they say, is bliss.

"Hmm," he replied, fiddling with his cufflinks. "Most of the time I had very little to do with it."

She didn't know whether to be relieved by that or not. The way he'd said _most of the time_…

"Mommy, look!" The people in front of them had moved on a few paces, and finally they could see the grotto. They'd really outdone themselves this year. A giant gingerbread house sat in an elaborate garden of candy canes, the path to which was lined with elves directing families to the entrance.

Trixie's eyes lit up, and Chloe smiled. Despite the previous year's claims that she was too old for this now, it seemed her daughter could still be swept up in the wonder of it all. This could very well be the last time she was willing to see Santa, and despite the reason for having joined the queue in the first place, Chloe was going to treasure it.

Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one whose eyes had lit up. The nearest elf had just slipped a piece of paper into the Devil's hand as he walked by, presumably with her number on it. As they progressed down the line more numbers followed, and no matter what she told herself, Chloe was feeling increasingly jealous as each one made its way into Lucifer's pocket.

"Do you think, Detective, that I should hold a Christmas party at Lux?"

She turned to him, surprised to find that _that _was what he was thinking about right now. "I'm sure some of these fine young ladies and gentlemen would be willing to attend, given the right price," he mused. "After all, I do have their contact details," he said with a wink, patting his breast pocket.

"Oh? And who would you get to play Santa?" she asked teasingly, knowing exactly what the answer would be.

"Who better than Satan himself?" he replied with a grin, causing a few of the parents around them to cast worried glances in their direction. "Listening to the desires of mortals is what I do best, is it not?"

"Not from what I've heard." The words slipped out before she could stop them, and she cringed.

Lucifer, of course, looked delighted.

He went to say something in response, but she quickly pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him. Whatever it was, she was pretty sure it wouldn't be appropriate for a line full of children. Especially as, if she had to guess, it would be something to do with humans sitting on his lap.

A cough brought her attention to the now non-existent line in front of her, where an annoyed looking elf was waiting impatiently. "Santa is ready for you now," she said, gesturing to the snow covered path that led to the other side of the grotto. A path that her daughter was practically already halfway down, gesturing frantically at her mother to hurry up.

Mumbling an apology, she grabbed Lucifer's hand without thinking, tugging him along beside her. As soon as they reached Trixie, though, she noticed a look of panic on his face. As soon as she realised what she'd done, she let go. He took a step back away from her, flexing his hand before shoving it deep in his pocket. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

He straightened, a wide smile quickly wiping away any trace of the emotion that had been there seconds before. "Perfectly fine. Shall we go in?"

By the time they made it inside, Trixie was already situated in Santa's lap, deep in conversation. Chloe took out her phone, making sure to take a few photos to show Dan later on. When the time came for Santa to ask her what she wanted for Christmas, Trixie leaned in to whisper in his ear, and to Chloe's surprise, Lucifer did the same to her.

"That's quite the impressive wishlist your spawn has."

"You heard that?" she whispered back.

Lucifer began to reel off the things her daughter had asked for and Chloe groaned. There were several new items added since the last time she'd asked, and not only did she not have the money for them, but the idea of facing the shops again filled her with horror.

Trixie received her token gift and together they went back out into the fairground, her monkey tearing ahead to open her present. "So," Lucifer said, "Which items have you neglected to obtain for your offspring, then?"

She glared at him. Not getting a child everything they asked for wasn't _neglect. _If anything, it was a life lesson. Unfortunately, that didn't stop her feeling guilty though. It wasn't as if Trixie asked for much these days.

Sighing, she recited the items she could remember that were missing from the pile under the tree, and she could see Lucifer taking careful note of each one. "Lucifer," she said, placing a hand on his chest. "I don't want you buying everything off that list, okay?"

Disappointment flickered in his eyes and she remembered the last time he'd insisted that parents should provide all that their children ask for. "Very well, Detective," he said with a nod. "I will not purchase everything from the list, you have my word."

She withdrew her hand, but not before noticing how his heart had started to beat faster under her touch. They stood silently together until Trixie came back to join them, brandishing a box of cheap candy which she immediately hid behind her back when she saw Lucifer eyeing it hungrily. "Come on you two," Chloe said with a chuckle. "Let's go and find something else to do, shall we?"

…

"Now _this _looks like fun."

Lucifer stood by the ice rink set up specially for the occasion. Children and their parents whizzed, or in most cases, edged their way around the ice, for fear of falling. Chloe felt dread pooling in the pit of her stomach, for any moment now…

"MOMMY! Can we go on? Can we?"

She groaned, but she'd never been able to refuse her daughter when she looked at her like that. As she had many times before, she cursed Dan for those big brown eyes of hers. They were far deadlier than any weapon Maze had surreptitiously tried to introduce her to.

"Okay, baby. Let me just-"

She turned to head to the kiosk, only to find Lucifer standing there, three pairs of skates in hand already.

"How did you even…?" she said, frowning. Then she exhaled and briefly shook her head. "Nevermind. Come on monkey, let's get you laced up."

Ten minutes later and they were out on the ice, Trixie speeding ahead while Chloe gingerly pushed forward. Lucifer skid into view, and he began to skate backwards in front of her, elegant as always. Because of course he was good at this. It wasn't like he'd had millennia to practise or anything.

Not that there were likely to be many ice rinks in Hell, she reasoned. Although he did claim once that he could freeze it over; perhaps that was it.

She still hated to think of him down there.

"Do you not normally skate, Detective?" Lucifer asked inquisitively as they rounded the corner. How he was managing to avoid the people behind him she had no idea.

"I used to," she admitted, "back when Mom was still in her "any excuse to dress me up phase", but I never really took to it."

Trixie flew past them both, already having made friends with a few other children who were confident on the ice. "Hi Mommy! Hi Lucifer!" she shouted as she went by.

"Be careful!" Chloe called out after her, although she was no doubt too far away to hear her already.

"Your offspring seems quite at ease it though," Lucifer noted, deftly swerving out of the way of someone who had taken a tumble.

Chloe smiled. "She is. It's not all that different to rollerblading when you think about it."

Distracted, she made the mistake of looking down for a moment, and immediately managed to trip over her own feet. Within an instant Lucifer was beside her, his arm hooked through hers, helping to steady her.

"Thank you," she said breathlessly. She still had far too many painful memories of what it was like to hit the ice face first.

"That's quite alright, Detective." He went to withdraw his arm, but as he did so, she wrapped her hand around his.

"Don't leave me?" she said. "I don't want to fall."

His face was unreadable as he looked down at her, and she worried for a moment that she'd gone too far, too soon. Soon though, his features softened, although his eyes retained a degree of seriousness within them that she rarely saw. "Never, Detective," he said, as they slowly set off together. He guided her swiftly out of the way of someone who had decided to skate in the opposite direction, and afterwards held her hand a little tighter, interlacing his fingers with hers. "I would never allow it."

…

By the time they'd done several laps of the ice, Chloe was beginning to feel the cold. She was just about to suggest that they take a break when she heard her name being called from behind, and upon turning her head, she saw her daughter hurtling towards her at far too high a speed for any good to come of it.

She'd barely opened her mouth to shout at her to slow down though when Lucifer ground them to a halt, spinning on the spot and scooping Trixie up with one arm, whilst attempting to keep Chloe upright with the other. She clung to him until she stopped feeling like the ground was about to disappear from under her feet. Her daughter of course, merely whooped with delight.

After checking Chloe wasn't about to fall flat on her face, Lucifer bent over, intent on setting Trixie back down on the ice. She flung her arms around his neck though, making it clear she had no intention of going anywhere. "Don't put me down yet, pleeeeease?" Trixie begged, looking towards the group of girls she'd been skating with, who were now stood watching them. "They'll be so jealous."

Lucifer turned to look in the same direction, then grinned. He tilted his head questioningly at Chloe, who nodded her consent, before making her way over to the side of the rink, where she could watch without falling over. And just like that, they were off, Lucifer weaving his way effortlessly in between the other skaters at a tremendous speed, Trixie squealing happily in his arms.

When he lifted her over her head some of the other parents looked at Chloe with concern, but she simply smiled back at them. Trixie would always be safe with Lucifer, she knew that implicitly. Something inside her warmed at the thought. She trusted the Devil with her daughter, and whereas a few months ago she would have completely freaked out about that, now, she was perfectly fine with it.

As soon as the fun was over, Lucifer helped Chloe off the ice, and she saw that even he was now shivering slightly. "Hot chocolate?" she said, a suggestion that was soon met by two eager grins.

...

This was Chloe's favourite part of the day. The German market made up only a tiny portion of the fair, but there was something about the decorated wooden stalls, and the smell of cakes and pies absolutely everywhere that made her feel more festive than almost anything else here. Seeing Trixie with Santa being the exception of course.

Her daughter was already making a beeline for the hot chocolate stand, dragging poor Lucifer behind her. The Devil shot her a look that clearly said '_help me', _and she had to slam a hand over her mouth so he couldn't see her laughing. By the time she finally joined them though he'd recovered nicely, standing waiting for her with a drink piled high with whipped cream and marshmallows.

By that point they'd all thawed out from the chill of the ice, but the warmth of the chocolate was still comforting, and the sight of Lucifer with a marshmallow upper lip was something to behold indeed. Thankfully she'd managed to whip her phone out and snap a photo before he realised exactly what Trixie was giggling at.

The market had put them all in a good mood. Despite his initial protests, at the sight of all the sweet stalls and chocolate shops Lucifer's eyes had lit up like, well, like a kid at Christmas. He was currently busy bickering with Trixie over exactly _how _much candy she was allowed to steal from his ever growing bag, while Chloe sat back and watched them both with a fond smile.

With full bellies and her daughter once again enjoying the rush of a sugar high, they made their way to the fair itself, where Trixie promptly began to work her way through the exorbitant amount of ride tickets Lucifer had purchased for her. While they waited, she sat on a bench with Lucifer in companionable silence. "Not so bad after all then?" she asked after a while, gently nudging him with her elbow.

He sipped at the hot chocolate in his hand, his third of the evening. "I will concede… it was tolerable. Although I believe that is more to do with the company," he said, smiling and pretending to toast her with his cup.

She laughed and moved a little closer. "Happy to hear my company is tolerable, Mr. Morningstar."

His breath hitched as she drew nearer, but she chose to ignore it, continuing to look at Trixie as though nothing had changed. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him relax slightly, and to her relief he made no attempt to move away from her.

"Oh more than tolerable, Ms. Decker," he said, turning towards her, so close now that she could feel the words brush over her skin. "In fact I miss your presence greatly when you aren't here."

Silence fell between them again, to the point where she couldn't even hear him breathing. When she looked at him, the shock on his face made it obvious that he'd revealed more than he intended to.

This, however, was one problem she knew how to fix. Shuffling across the bench one more time, she closed that final gap between them, resting against him just as she had the day before. It was like cuddling up to a statue, if a statue could have a full body tremor at the touch of someone else.

She didn't ask him not to leave this time; she didn't give him the chance.

"I missed you too, Lucifer."

The seconds ticked by and she waited to see what he would do. Eventually, he shifted beside her, and she braced herself for the lack of warmth at her side. Only, that never happened. Slowly, she felt an arm encircle her, and she forced herself not to react. A few more minutes passed, and with no indication on her part that she didn't want this, he pulled her closer. She sighed in relief, and felt him do the same.

It wasn't perfect, but it was something.

And something, when it came to him and his place in her life, was definitely much better than nothing.


	4. Chapter 4

"What's this?"

Lucifer jumped out of his corvette, having just parked in front of the school where no other parent would dare to. He waved a ticket at her, boldly emblazoned with the words '_Christmas Concert'_.

Chloe sat back against the railing, admiring the way the three piece suit he was wearing clung to his body as he strode over to her. She recognised it as the one with the purple backed waistcoat; one of her favourites. "I thought I'd give the Devil a taste of true torture," she said, giving him a devious grin.

"I fail to see how a concert can be torture, Detective." He frowned as he observed the multitude of parents heading inside, the majority of them not exactly looking like they were filled to the brim with Christmas spirit. "Unless it's a Justin Bieber concert," he mused. He turned to her then, alarmed. "It isn't, is it?"

She laughed. "No, Lucifer, Justin Bieber is not playing in an elementary school." He looked so relieved that she had to laugh again, before taking the arm that he'd offered her. They'd barely made it to the steps though when she paused for a moment. "Although I can't promise you won't hear any of his songs."

"What kind of concert is this anyway?" Lucifer asked, carefully examining the ticket she'd left with his barman the day before, after calling in at Lux to find he wasn't there. Granted, she could have given him the ticket here, but it had been a long time since she'd had the opportunity to be in the penthouse alone with him, so she was pleased to have found an excuse to visit.

And less pleased to find that she couldn't.

"The kind that you wouldn't abandon me at?" she said, looking up at him through eyelashes that she may have fluttered once or twice.

For a second he looked dazed, but he soon recovered, moving his arm to the small of her back as he guided her to the entrance. "Abandon you, darling?" he said with a shake of his head. "Never."

She smiled to herself. That was as good as giving his word.

Something he very well might soon regret.

…

It wasn't long until they had taken their seats in the school hall, where the lights were already dimmed, the show a few minutes away from starting. She'd explained to Lucifer on the way in that the concert was held once a year around Christmas time, an opportunity for the various choirs in the school district to come together and sing. It was an evening she both looked forward to and dreaded at the same time; she loved to see her little girl performing on stage, but as for the rest of it…

When she mentioned Trixie's involvement in the show, his interest peaked.

"You never mentioned your offspring had a talent for music, Detective."

She grimaced. "Talent might be pushing it." Just like any other parent, Chloe was incredibly proud of her daughter, but she'd been subjected to some truly horrendous versions of the latest pop songs over the years. "The school have a policy of allowing anyone to join the choir, regardless of ability."

Much to her amusement, he shuddered. "Surely not. Any musical arrangement composed under those conditions would be chaos."

Keeping her face as straight as possible, she looked at him gravely. "Exactly."

His eyes darted toward the exit, and she didn't let the opportunity go to waste, leaning in to whisper a reminder of his promise in his ear. "It's a good job you said you'd stay here with me to help dull the pain, isn't it?"

The look on his face was a picture, so much so in fact that she wished she had her phone out so she could have actually taken one. "Well played, Detective," he said, his voice unusually low in a way that sent shivers up her spine. "Rest assured, the favour will be repaid."

His face was still so close to hers that she could feel his words across her skin. "I'm counting on it," she replied, reveling in the way his breath hitched and his eyes darkened.

But then of course, he remembered himself, jolting away from her before sitting back in his seat and staring steadfastly ahead at the stage.

"How long until the show begins?" he asked, his voice far more strained than it had been before.

"Not long," she said, trying to concentrate on keeping her own voice steady. "There'll be a group song at the start, and then…" she thumbed through the programme they'd been given when they arrived, "...Trixie is on just after the break."

He nodded, and an uncomfortable silence fell between them. She didn't let it worry her though; Lucifer could never keep quiet for long, and she was sure that any second now he'd-

"The spawn's singing is really that terrible?"

She chuckled. "Not terrible perhaps, but let's say she didn't inherit her vocal chords from her parents, that's for sure."

Instantly, she realised her mistake. She winced, closing her eyes and drawing a deep breath while she waited for the inevitable.

"_Parents_, Detective?" he said, emphasising the "s" as a sly smile began to form at the corner of his mouth. "You haven't been keeping secrets now have you? I don't recall you mentioning you could sing."

"No better or worse than anyone else," she replied, giving her best attempt at a nonchalant shrug. There was no way on earth, Heaven or Hell that Lucifer was _ever _finding out about her pageant days, where her ability to carry a tune had quickly replaced piano playing as her professed talent, after the latter proved to be anything but.

Before Lucifer could question her any further though, the lights dropped and the music started. As the curtains began to open, she settled back into her chair and breathed a sigh of relief. She might have even gone as far as to thank God, had she thought for half a second that he had any interest whatsoever in convenient timing.

Then again, she _had _just technically been saved from the Devil.

The children marched on stage, and suddenly there was a hand on hers in the dark. "There she is," Lucifer whispered, pointing at towards the front of the hall. If she didn't know any better, she would say he was actually excited to see her daughter. The thought crossed her mind that maybe she should feel guilty for enjoying this experience with another man, while Dan missed out on seeing Trixie once again thanks to work.

And yet… she'd saved up the leave to have this time off with Trixie, and he hadn't. And as bad as she might feel about it, there was something about sitting here instead with the man she loved, seeing him clearly completely entranced with watching her daughter on stage as she sang her heart out.

The man who claimed he didn't have a family, when it was obvious that he did.

He just needed to realise it.

...

When the song was finished, the principal of Trixie's school stepped up to the microphone, thanking the choir and welcoming the parents. He read through the list of the various schools participating that evening, noting the addition of two local Catholic schools that were joining them for the first time. After he was done, the children filed out and Chloe braced herself, lacing her fingers through Lucifer's in what was less of an attempt to be romantic, and more of way of making sure he stayed put.

Which was probably a wise decision, because after a rendition of "All I Want for Christmas" that could have easily broken glass, and a mumbled version of "Frosty the Snowman" sung by a choir that had forgotten half of the lyrics, Chloe was counting down the minutes to the interval herself. By now, Lucifer must have been sitting in his chair wondering if he'd possibly gone daffy by agreeing to this.

She felt him shift beside her, the rows of tightly packed seating not exactly providing much room for those long legs of his. "Only one more song until the intermission," she murmured quietly, knowing he'd hear her. He nodded, giving her hand a small squeeze in reply. She blinked in surprise as she looked down at their entwined fingers. Somehow, she hadn't realised that neither of them had let go throughout the entire first half of the show.

And suddenly, just like that, she wasn't looking forward to the lights coming on quite so much anymore.

So distracted was she by the feel of his warm skin next to hers, that she didn't notice the next school making their way onto the stage. It wasn't until the music started up that she began to pay attention, noting that this must be one of the new schools attending, their uniform unfamiliar to her from previous years. She sat upright in an effort to rouse herself slightly, and prepared for another three minutes of audible torture.

The minute the children started singing though, she felt Lucifer turn to stone.

_"God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay…" _

His hand clenched, trapping her fingers inside. There was something very wrong here, but she couldn't figure out what. It was a Christmas carol yes, but surely he'd heard carols being sung before?

_"Remember Christ our Savior, was born on Christmas Day…" _

"Lucifer," she hissed, as quietly as she could. "Are you okay?" He said nothing, his grip tightening even more. It felt like he was using her as a life raft; something to keep him afloat from whatever was trying to drag him under.

_"To save us all from Satan's power…" _

She realised what was happening too late, the pain in her fingers causing her to gasp before she had the chance to offer him any kind of comfort. His head snapped to hers, his eyes wild as they darted down to where their hands were joined. He yanked his arm away, his face filling with horror as he rose from his chair and bolted from the hall. The door slammed behind him before she could say so much as another word.

Several parents turned to see what the noise was. Chloe received a few glares, but it wasn't long before everyone was looking back at the stage, Chloe included. It would be Trixie's turn to perform again soon. For the briefest of moments, she was torn between staying to watch her daughter sing and going after Lucifer, but in reality, it really wasn't much of a decision at all. She knew her monkey would understand if she didn't make it back in time. As the curtains began to close and the lights started to come on, she gathered her things and left.

It wasn't hard to find him, the nearest door to the outside almost hanging off its hinges in the wake of his anguish. He was half collapsed against the outside wall, desperately trying to light a cigarette and failing.

"Hey," she said, taking his hand in hers and removing the lighter with the other. He broke away, slamming his arms back to the wall behind him, his fists clenched in frustration. The cigarette fell to the ground, and he raised his eyes to look at her, torment swirling within.

"I _hate _that bloody song," he snarled. "As if my brother would need to save _anyone _from me!"

It had been a long time since she'd seen him this angry. He sank to the floor and she followed, kneeling by his side. "I'm sorry, Lucifer," she said, putting a hand on his knee. "I didn't know there'd be carols… there never normally is…"

"You have nothing to apologise for." He didn't look at her as he said it though, focusing on the hand that was touching him. She started to move it away, but stopped as he brought his own up, his fingers drifting gently over hers. "I hurt you."

"No," she breathed. "No, you didn't. You just… took me by surprise me, that's all."

He shot her a look of derision. "Don't lie to me, Detective. Believe me when I say it is _not _one of your strong suits."

She moved her hand to caress his cheek. "You didn't mean to."

Closing his eyes, he leaned into her for the briefest of moments, before shaking his head. "I don't mean to do a lot of things."

"Tell me about your brother?" she asked.

He shifted uncomfortably against the wall. "Not much to tell really, I barely knew the man. Heard Dad had made himself a new son, so I popped up to take a look. When I found him, he was wandering around in the desert, had been for days. I told him he was a bloody fool, then left him to it." He shrugged. "I went back a couple of times to if he'd come to his senses, but he was determined, the stubborn idiot."

"It runs in the family then?" she joked, failing to earn even a glimmer of a smile. "I thought you said the stuff in the bible wasn't true?"

Again, his fingers traced the hand he'd held earlier, the one that still bore red marks from where he'd gripped her too hard. "There is some truth in everything, Detective," he said, his voice full of bitterness and regret, and she knew he wasn't just talking about his brother anymore.

"No."

He turned to her, his eyes wide at the determination in her voice. "No, there isn't," she said. "Not in everything, Lucifer. Not in _that_."

The urge to hold him was overwhelming. She wanted to wrap herself around his damaged soul; to be a bandage that could somehow manage to fix thousands of years worth of hurt. But that was something even a miracle couldn't do. His were wounds that would never fully heal, she knew that.

And so she did the only thing she could; she tried to ease the pain.

Throwing her arms around him as best she could, she pulled him to her, holding him close. When he stilled, she just held him tighter. With how he was sat, it was awkward, it was messy… but wasn't that the way they were now?

How long they stayed that way she didn't know, but eventually he sank against her, burying his face into her neck as the last of his ire abated. She stroked the hair at the base of his head, feeling the way his body continued to tremble.

He drew in a long, shuddering breath before he spoke, his words wracked with sorrow.

"Children, Chloe… they teach those lies to children. Beatrice-"

"Doesn't believe a word of it."

She pulled back, far enough away as she could see the doubt in his eyes. His hands were gripping her waist now, his fingertips biting into her hips. Despite what he might tell himself, he wanted her to stay, no, he _needed _her to stay.

And she would. In this whirling storm of grief and despair, she would be his anchor.

"Lucifer, it's true," she said, cradling his face in her hands. "Trixie was like me. God, angels, Heaven and Hell, to her they were all made-up stories from a book, nothing more. Dan and his parents, they tried to convince her for _years_. And then she met you."

She exhaled shakily and moved her legs from under her, twisting within the circle of his arms until she was leaning back against him, the heat of his body radiating along her side. "They tried to send her to Sunday school, you know, not long after our first case." She felt him stiffen slightly, and she stroked his leg reassuringly. "She didn't even last two classes."

Smiling at the memory, she continued. "The first time, Dan asked her just to listen, and so she did. After he dropped her off that weekend, the only thing she had to tell me was that you were an angel."

_"Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of the light," _Lucifer muttered, his fingers running idly through her hair. Whether he was aware he was doing it or not, she didn't know, but she certainly wasn't going to stop him. "I _was _an angel, why would I need a bloody disguise?"

"Well if you did, at least you picked a good one," she said teasingly. When she angled her head to look up at him, she saw him smile, just a little.

"What about the second time?" he asked curiously. "Did the little urchin ask to leave?"

"Nope!" She popped the 'p' as she said it, a wide grin appearing upon her face. "They kicked her out."

Lucifer's eyes grew large as saucers, and his expression was so comical that she couldn't help but giggle. "Apparently," she said, her breath hitching as her laughter grew, "the class leader didn't appreciate it when she told him that the Devil was her friend, and that they should stop being mean to him."

She felt him start to laugh before she heard it. A deep rumble that originated low in his chest, vibrating through her until she could feel it in her bones. When he broke it was a bellow, and she was right there along with him, both of them clinging on to each other as their bodies shook with the force of it.

"Dan's parents were horrified." She shook her head amusedly, wiping the tears from her eyes as their mirth began to ebb. He smiled down at her, using his free hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "So, do you see?" she said, more seriously now. "All of those stories, the lectures and the visits to church, and the only thing she believed in… was you."

She didn't think she'd ever seen Lucifer so lost for words. Resting her head back against his shoulder, she curled into him, rejoicing in the way his arm moved with her, continuing to hold her close. "And that was _before _she saw your eyes." She sighed, wanting nothing more than for him to understand the depth of her regret. "I only wish I'd acted the same way."

Before she knew it, she found herself with her back against the wall, Lucifer's warmth disappearing as he turned to face her in shock. "Before she saw my _what_?" he said, looking panicked.

"Your eyes, Lucifer." She frowned, and sat up straighter. "She never told you?" He stayed mute, a slight shake of his head his only response. "That day, in the warehouse. She heard the gunshot, and left her hiding place to look." Chloe shuddered, the thought of what could have happened if her daughter had been seen instilling a more than familiar fear within her, one that still plagued her nightmares sometimes.

She looked down to see Lucifer was delicately holding her hand again, attempting to comfort her. She smiled at him, the man who had made sure those nightmares had never come true. "Trixie has known longer than any of us," she said, bringing her other hand up to clasp around his. "She knew, and she didn't care."

His shock had turned to amazement as she spoke, and with her final words it changed into something else entirely. A look she had seen so rarely upon his face that it took her breath away.

Pure, unadulterated, joy.

"I do believe, Detective," he said softly, "that your daughter may be just as much of a miracle as you are."

A thought occurred to her then. "You're right," she said. "In more ways than one really. If I didn't exist… then neither would she." She paused, but not long enough to think her next sentence through properly. "Another thing I have to thank your Father for, I guess."

The happiness in his eyes dimmed. "Well yes, one would have to be grateful for their own existence, I suppose," he said, somewhat stiffly.

She resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. "Lucifer." He stared determinedly at the ground. "_Lucifer_." Letting go of his hands, she raised hers to cup his face, forcing him to look at her. "Lucifer, the other thing I'm thankful for is _you_."

His mouth dropped open slightly, and it wasn't until she felt his breath across her cheek that she realised how close they'd gotten. Time seemed to slow as their bodies drew infinitesimally nearer. Whether it was him moving towards her or her moving towards him she had no idea, but what did it matter when that space between them was finally about to disappear, when she was about to feel the press of his lips against hers once more…

"LUCIFER!"

The sound of her daughter's voice had them both reeling back away from each other. Lucifer stood, dusting off his trousers just in time for Trixie to crash into his legs.

"Are you okay?" she asked, staring up at him with avid concern.

Lucifer sighed. "I am perfectly well, child." Reluctantly he patted her on the head, before beginning the delicate process of removing himself from her grip.

But she refused to relinquish even one bit. "Are you sure? I saw you run out of the hall, and I thought you might be upset 'cause of the song and—"

Trixie halted abruptly, looking at Chloe as though she'd just remembered she was there. "Mommy, why are you on the floor?"

"Oh! Lucifer and I were just…" She floundered for something to say, anything that wasn't_ 'about to kiss'. _Buying herself some time, she moved to stand up, and immediately found a hand hovering in her peripheral version. The Devil was always a gentleman it seemed, no matter the circumstances.

Slipping her hand into his, she accepted his help gladly, relieved to be free of the uncomfortable concrete. No sooner was she upright though, than he pulled his hand away, almost as if his skin had been burned by her touch. When she looked at him, he avoided her eyes.

_Another step backwards. _

Taking a deep breath, she pushed it aside for later and chose to concentrate on Trixie instead, who was still waiting for an answer. Unfortunately for her, Chloe decided that attack was the best form of defence. "Nevermind why I was on the floor, young lady, why are you out here? Aren't you on stage soon?"

"I came to see if Lucifer was okay!" her daughter protested, but Chloe didn't miss the way she was slowly sliding behind the man she was currently still clinging onto, putting a Devil shaped barrier between her and her mother. A Devil who, by this point, was standing there looking pretty bewildered.

"...And?" Chloe pressed, knowing for certain there was more to the story.

Trixie peered out from behind Lucifer, and promptly cracked under her mother's stony gaze. "And Mr. Etches wouldn't let me sing with the others," she said woefully.

Suddenly, Lucifer was no longer in Trixie's grasp, but instead had taken her hand and was looking down at her, his expression grim. "Take me to this Mr. Etches, child. We shall soon have this injustice rectified."

They'd already taken two steps towards the entrance before Chloe managed to pull herself out of her stupefied state; flabbergasted by the realisation that the Devil was _willingly _coming into contact with her daughter. "Lucifer... Lucifer, wait," she stammered. Darting forward, she placed her hand on his chest. As she expected, he froze. Frustration shot through her, but she ignored it.

"Trixie, _why _aren't you allowed to sing?"

The minute she spoke, her daughter's eyes dropped to the floor. She noticed Lucifer's hand curl a little more around Trixie's, almost protectively, and she had to bite back a smile at the sight.

"I might have… yelled at other choir at bit."

Chloe sighed. "Monkey…"

"Well they deserved it! Their song was _stupid, _and they were lying about Lucifer! You always say it's was wrong to tell lies, and I—"

"You're right, monkey." Trixie fell silent, not used to winning her mother over quite so easily. "It _is _wrong to lie." She crouched down, holding out her arms, which her daughter promptly ran into. "But we know the truth, don't we?"

"That Lucifer is good," her daughter said determinedly.

"Exactly." She let her eyes drift up to the man in question, who was currently stood staring at the hand that had been holding her child's just moments ago, flexing it strangely, as though he were feeling the loss. He looked at her, and she hoped he heard just as much conviction in her words as there had been in Trixie's when she said, "Lucifer is _good_."

To her surprise, after a few seconds had passed, the Devil in question knelt down beside them. "Child... " He paused, swallowing heavily, and corrected himself. "Beatrice... thank you."

At the sound of her name, Trixie let go of her mother, looping her arms around the Lucifer's neck instead. He hesitated briefly, his eyes flickering to Chloe's as if to ask for permission, then he wrapped his arms around her in return.

_"Thank you." _


	5. Chapter 5

"What's this?"

_"That,_ Lucifer, is something I haven't worn since I was in my twenties, and also something I am in no way wearing to the party tomorrow! How are you even _finding _this stuff?"

Chloe sat on her bed, surrounded by a sea of clothes strewn all around her. She must have been crazy, thinking it was a good idea to ask Lucifer to help her choose an outfit for the department's Christmas party. But after two days of radio silence following their near kiss at the concert, she'd grown desperate. Knowing he would never be able to resist the opportunity to knock some fashion sense into her, this had felt like the best option.

So far though, all he'd managed to do was discover depths of her wardrobe long since forgotten.

For good reason.

And all without a single inappropriate joke about finally being allowed in her bedroom. He was either slipping, or it was killing him not to say anything. She was willing to bet it was the latter.

His bemused face looked down at her from where he'd been searching through the boxes she kept on top of the closet. Boxes that she had thought contained mementoes, but apparently also included embarrassing outfit choices from her past as well. "I fail to see how it is my fault you have neglected to rid yourself of your more _interesting _clothes, Detective," he said, a hint of the usual smirk she would have expected to see on his face in this particular room creeping in.

She rolled her eyes. "Surely I have _something _in there?" Granted, her sense of style tended to gravitate towards the casual, but things hadn't gotten that bad, had they? She tried to think of the last time she'd gone out anywhere that didn't involve work, but came up empty. The last tribe night had been quite some time ago, and she couldn't even remember how long it had been since she visited Lux when it was actually open.

In the midst of her distraction, Lucifer had gotten down on his hands and knees and started looking through the bottom of her closet. She probably should have told him there were only shoes stored down there… but she decided she'd rather enjoy the view for a while instead. After all, it wasn't like he'd never done the same to her, and as she remembered, he was all about tit for tat.

"Well now, I certainly approve of _these_," he said, tossing the pair of thigh high boots she'd last worn to Bianca Ruiz's party. She smiled, thinking of what his reaction would have been had he seen her in _that _outfit. Perhaps that was something to keep in mind…

Lucifer paused in his hunting for a moment. "You could always—" he began, but she interrupted him before he could finish.

"Before you suggest it, no, I'm _not _going to wear something left by one of your overnight guests again. I'd rather just go in something I'm comfortable in. It's only work."

Something flashed across his face; an emotion too quick to identify. He stood, smoothing down his trousers and closing the closet doors. "I was merely going to suggest you allow me to purchase you something, Detective." His eyes fell to the floor. "And I'm afraid I would be unable to accommodate you anyway, having not had any overnight guests in quite some time now."

She closed her eyes, feeling dreadful for having said anything. Seconds later however, she felt a hand slide under her chin, gently tilting her face up towards him. "You deserve to wear something as stunning as you are," he said quietly.

Her breathing picked up as her heart tried to beat its way out of her chest. His touch was gone as quickly as it came though; he'd obviously noticed her reaction to his touch. "Lucifer, I-"

The sound of a text coming through on her phone shattered the tension, and Lucifer suddenly became very interested in tidying away the mess around them. Chloe sighed, and reluctantly looked at the screen. "Dan says we're needed at the station."

"Excellent!" he said, his face filling with glee. "What awaits us, Detective? A very merry murder? Festive fratricide? Holy homicide?"

She shot him a look, and he quickly made a valiant attempt to twist his features into something resembling concern that a death may have occurred. Of course, he failed miserably.

"It's not a case, Lucifer," she said, in the most unimpressed voice she could muster. "We're on leave, remember?"

Turning her phone around, she showed him the message. "Something's up with Ella."

Immediately he straightened, his expression becoming serious. He was halfway through the door before she even registered the fact he'd started moving. Glancing back towards her, he reached out, wiggling his fingers. "Come along, Detective," he urged. "Miss Lopez requires our assistance."

She took his hand, and let him tug her towards the stairs.

They made it to the station in record time, Chloe hanging onto the side of the corvette the entire way as Lucifer expertly weaved his way in and out of the traffic. "We're not all immortal you know!" she yelled over the sound of another car horn blaring. In response, he merely glanced at her, raising an eyebrow.

Oh. Of course.

Around her, he _wasn't _immortal. It was something she was still trying to get her head around. Why he, a creature that had existed from almost the dawn of creation itself, would want to risk his entire existence, just to be around _her_. She found herself examining him, watching as his hair became disheveled in the breeze, as the sunlight illuminated the perfection that was his face. It didn't seem so much of a stretch now, that he was an angel. Sometimes she wondered how she'd never seen it before.

Sighing, she let her eyes drift away from him to the road ahead, lost in her own thoughts. She should send him away, she knew that. By doing so, she would quite literally be saving his life. Oh sure, perhaps they could spend the rest of their days together without him ever being at risk, but what was the likelihood of that? He'd proven time and time again that he would always put her safety ahead of his. It was selfish of her to allowed him to continue to do that.

And yet, she couldn't imagine her life without him in it.

"Detective?" Lucifer's worried voice broke her out of her reverie, and she looked up to find him staring down at her, one hand outstretched to help her out of the car while the other held the door opened. She hadn't even realised they'd arrived at the station. "Are you quite alright?"

Her mind was still spinning. "Why do you stay?" she blurted out. Confusion furrowed his brow at her words. "With me," she elaborated. "Why do you stay with me?"

There was sadness in his eyes for a second, before he blinked it away. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No!" she said, opening her mouth again to explain that wasn't what she meant.

She didn't get a chance however, Lucifer giving her a short, sharp nod before angling his body in the direction of the entrance to the precinct.

"Then that's why I stay."

And with that, he strode towards the door.

"That's not the only reason though, is it?" she whispered to herself. Watching him go, she saw the slight hesitation in his step, and realised that he'd heard her.

Scrambling out of the car, she followed him across the parking garage as quickly as she could.

By the time she made it inside, Lucifer was already downstairs talking to Dan. As she hurried down the stairs to join them both, she couldn't help but notice there was something different about the bullpen today.

In fact, she could have sworn she heard music in the air.

"What's going on, Dan?"

He motioned towards the lab. "Ella's been in there for hours, playing the most depressing Christmas music I've ever heard. We can't get her to come out."

Lucifer handed Chloe a cup of coffee. She frowned. Where he'd managed to get that to magically appear from she had no idea, but she accepted it gratefully anyway. If being the Devil involved super speeded coffee deliveries, she certainly had no complaints.

"Daniel was just explaining that Miss Lopez's flight tomorrow has been cancelled due to the storm."

"She can't get home?" Chloe's heart sank for her friend. She knew how much she'd been looking forward to it.

Dan shook his head. "And as I was just explaining to Mr. Club Owner Billionaire over here, owning a private plane doesn't make a blind bit of difference if all the planes are grounded," he said exasperatedly.

Chloe reached up and touched her partner's shoulder. "He's right. If Ella's plane is grounded, they're all gonna be grounded." Lucifer sighed defeatedly, and her heart warmed at how much he cared about their friend's happiness. "Let's go and see if we can cheer her up, shall we?"

Together they walked over to the lab, and Chloe knocked on the door. "Ella?" she called, debating if she could even hear her over the sound of "Lonely this Christmas" blasting out through the door. She looked up meaningfully at Lucifer and took a step back away from the door. He gestured at the handle, and she nodded. One touch of his hand against it and she heard the lock click open.

Ella jumped up from the microscope she'd been peering into, her eye rimmed red with tears. "Oh, hey guys," she said, her usual cheery tone absent. "What's up?"

Chloe rounded the table and immediately enveloped her in a hug. "I'm sorry, Ella." The forensic scientist sniffled into her shoulder, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Lucifer make his way across the lab until he stood nearby, hovering awkwardly.

Ella pulled away, wiping at her eyes with her sleeves as she did so. "It's okay. Really, it is. There'll be other visits, other Christmases… maybe I'll make it for New Year, who knows?"

Defeatedly she slumped back onto one of the lab stools, her head in her hands. The sound of "Blue Christmas" vanished from the room, Lucifer having located the volume control for the speakers. "Miss Lopez, are you sure this is the only misfortune to have befallen you?"

Chloe braced herself for some comment about not having to visit family being a blessing, but he looked genuinely concerned. Ella sighed and shook her head as she raised it slightly, keeping her gaze fixed firmly on the table. Chloe wondered at what point Lucifer had begun to know her better than she did.

"The venue for the party tonight cancelled; apparently they double booked us." She looked at Chloe, her eyes shining with tears once more. "How am I going to tell everyone?" she asked, motioning at what lay outside of the laboratory window. "They're all looking forward to it… I'm supposed to have organised it…"

Ella halted as Lucifer sat himself down on the adjacent stool, offering up his pocket square so she could dry her eyes. "It is fortunate then, Miss Lopez, that you happen to know LA's premier club owner, is it not?"

"Really?" A small, hopeful smile began to appear on Ella's face, and she sat up a little straighter. She attempted to hand the pocket square back to Lucifer, only to tuck it into her own pocket after he quite literally threw up his hands to ward her off. "I thought you and Chloe decided it wasn't an "appropriate" venue?"

Lucifer glanced at Chloe and she shrugged. Beggars can't be choosers after all. "I suppose…" he ventured, "Lux could be made _suitable _for a visit from the LAPD's finest." Ella threw her arms around the Devil, nearly knocking him off the stool in the process. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her in return before withdrawing again, although not quite as quickly as he once would.

Ella began pacing back and forth, babbling excitedly about her plans for the party. Chloe could see Lucifer wasn't paying attention though, and she suspected he was mentally running through a list of the bartenders he would have to make sure were off duty that evening, the various aspects of his business that would need to be hidden away. The kind of not quite legal activities that Chloe deliberately turned a blind eye to.

"And you're sure you don't mind?"

Lucifer smiled fondly. "Consider it a favour from the Devil." Ella grinned brightly at them both. "Which means, of course," he continued, "that we need to discuss repayment."

The smile slid from Ella's face. "Re... repayment?" she asked warily, unconsciously taking a step away from him.

His smile turned sly. "Did you forget who you were talking to, darling? And as luck would have it, I already have something in mind."

With one stride forwards using those long legs of his, and he was by Ella's side, whispering something in her ear. Almost immediately she pushed away from him, shaking her head vigorously. "Nuh uh. No way. I'm not doing that."

Chloe looked at Lucifer with wide eyes, wondering what on earth could have asked of their friend. Her partner failed to notice or explain though, his attention solely on Ella.

"Come now, Miss Lopez, I know you can. These laboratory walls are not as sound proof as you may believe." He spoke in that honeyed tone that Chloe was all too familiar with, that seductive melody which embodied his words whenever he was trying to persuade someone to do something.

Ella's face reddened, and Chloe wracked her brain as to what he could possibly be talking about. She'd never heard anything from the lab other than the occasional sound of breaking glass, followed by a few choice words from their resident Detroiter. Lucifer was obviously referring to something though…

She sighed. Super hearing as well as super speed, that must be it. It was all too easy to forget sometimes that her partner was essentially Clark Kent, minus the laser beams and x-ray vision. If only she didn't have play the role of his kryptonite...

"Fine." The sound of Ella's voice brought her back to the room, and she found Lucifer grinning down at their friend smugly. "But I get to choose, okay?"

Lucifer nodded, and held out his hand. "Your terms are more than agreeable, Miss Lopez." When Ella reached out to shake it, Chloe noted his total lack of any reticence at the contact. When it came to touching, deals and sex were perfectly okay with him apparently. It hurt her heart to think he was so unused to any kind of intimate contact that he couldn't help but shy away from it.

"It appears I have a party to arrange, Detective!" he said, beaming. "I assume you can do without my assistance for the rest of the day?"

"Yes, Lucifer... it'll be difficult, I'm sure, but I'll try my best to dress myself," she replied sarcastically.

Of course, it went right over his head.

"Excellent! If you'll excuse me then, ladies…" Whipping out his phone, he marched out of the lab, already texting what Chloe assumed were instructions to the relevant people. If anyone could pull off a party with just a few hours to spare, it was him.

She waited until she could no longer see him before turning back to Ella. Hopefully, that meant he was out of earshot. She pondered just how many of her conversations he'd overheard in the past. It didn't really bear thinking about.

"Chloe?" Ella was looking at her curiously, obviously wondering why she hadn't left yet.

"I need that dress back you borrowed."

The scientist's eyebrows hit the ceiling. "_That_ dress?"

Chloe nodded, smirking. "Oh yeah. THAT dress."

…

She took longer than usual to get ready that night; meticulously ensuring that every element was perfect, from her hair to the make-up she wore, which was heavier than her usual style but fitting to the outfit. The entire time, she was anxious, and she wasn't exactly sure why. It was just Lucifer. Lucifer who had made it clear how much he wanted her from the day they met. She was just… checking that was still the case. Making sure that she, that _this_, was what he wanted, despite what he'd told himself that the future of their relationship had to be.

Her hand shook as she applied her mascara, and she cast a withering look at her reflection. She was being ridiculous. Either she was about to confirm to herself that he was still interested, or solidify the fact that they were just friends now, and she'd been a fool to think she could impress an _angel _of all things in the first place. But... he was already impressed, wasn't he? A son of God who had lit the stars themselves, and yet still didn't think himself worthy of her. It didn't matter that he was the Devil, not to her. The only person it mattered to was him.

It was useless to carry on thinking like this. Checking herself over in the mirror one last time, she grabbed her bag. She was already running late; the party would be in full swing by now. Pulling out her phone to order an Uber, she saw multiple messages already asking where she was. The last one one was from Lucifer, and she swiped it open.

_"Surely you've found a dress by now, Detective?" _

She smiled; even when he wasn't in the room with her, she could hear the insecurity behind his words. She read the message for what it was.

_"You are coming, aren't you?" _

Firing off a reply to assure him she was, she took a deep breath as she saw her ride pull up.

It was now or never.

…

Chloe stood on the balcony in Lux, admiring the view. The club had been completely transformed from its usual appearance. True, the fires still burned and the darkest corners still beckoned, but every conceivable surface had been covered in fairy lights, and holiday music floated through the air, courtesy of the owner, sat upon his usual place at the piano.

To the side of the bar stood a giant tree, elegantly decorated in black and gold ornaments and ribbons. The only exception was a certain tinsel covered purple ornament near the top; distinctly recognisable in it's horridity. She caught sight of Ella, Linda, and Dan near the bar and waved, before starting to make her way down the stairs.

She knew the moment her saw her. Not only did he react the same way he always did when she entered a room; the deep breath, the straightening of his spine, almost as if he could sense her in the air, but the moment he turned his head to look at her…

He hit a wrong key on the piano.

Now if _that _wasn't a boost to a girl's confidence, she didn't know what was.

The misplaced note rang through the air, causing some people to halt their conversation, but he appeared to pay it no mind, his eyes fixed hungrily on her legs as she descended. When she drew nearer, he dragged his gaze northward with visible effort, and she smiled at him coyly before making her way towards their friends. The music picked up again, and she felt a warm glow inside as the others beckoned her over.

_Detective - 1, Devil - 0. _

"I don't think I've ever heard him make a mistake before," Linda mused. Ella however, simply raised her hand for a high five, and Dan… well, Dan just looked confused.

They made small talk for a while, Linda explaining that Lucifer had insisted she come as 'The consultant of the consultant', and Dan catching Chloe up on everything that had been going on at work. Eventually Chloe drifted away to the bar, where unfortunately she soon discovered it wasn't just Lucifer's interest that the dress had garnered. She was in the middle of fending off the third offer to buy her a drink, despite the fact she already had one, when the space around her suddenly cleared.

_"Detective," _murmured a familiar voice in her ear, his rumbling tone a good octave lower than usual. The feel of his breath skimming across her skin made her shiver, and she closed her eyes for a moment, leaning back into the wall of heat that he was behind her. His hands made their way to her hips, and she smiled, reaching forward to pick up her glass before slowly pivoting within the cage of his arms.

The drink put some space between them and he backed away, as if only just realising how close he'd allowed himself to get. "So," she said, gesturing down her body with her free hand. "How do I look?"

His eyes tracked the movement of her hand, and when they finally rose up to meet her own again they were darker than she'd ever seen them. "You look…" His focus dipped once more, and he swallowed before continuing. "You look very… nice."

_I'm more of a leg man myself. _

He hadn't been kidding.

"Thank you," she said, sipping her cocktail. "I'm glad you think I look… nice."

Jerking his attention upwards again, he blinked in surprise, and she could almost _hear _him thinking '_Did I actually just say that?'_

"So, Ella tells me your set is longer than usual tonight?"

He nodded mutely, and it seemed to take him a few seconds before he remembered he had a voice. "Miss Lopez assures me that people singing songs is what Christmas is all about." Frowning, he moved to her side as she hopped up onto the nearest stool, and tapped the bar twice sharply. The barman appeared almost instantly, a familiar amber liquid in hand. "It seems Christmas is about a lot of things."

She hummed non committedly, and when he raised his newly acquired glass of whisky to his lips, she crossed her legs, baring even more of her thigh. And she'd be damned if she didn't just make the Devil himself splutter into his own glass. Carefully placing the drink back on the bar, he glared at her, but his eyes soon dropped again of their own accord. She watched as he clenched his fists, his arms trembling slightly, as if he were having to physically restrain himself from throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her to the elevator.

Not that she'd have any objections to the idea.

"I-" He stumbled over his words. Shaking his head, he appeared to try and rid himself of the dazed state he had fallen into. "I should probably… get back to the, um…"

"Piano?" she added helpfully.

"Yes. Yes, that's it." His whisky had been replaced with another, and he threw it back quickly before slamming it back down on the bar, determinedly looking her in the eyes and nowhere else. "Have a good evening, Detective."

And with that, the Devil practically turned tail and ran back to the safety of his stage.

She bit her lip and smiled to herself. Desired reaction achieved indeed.

A low whistle from behind had her swiveling around on her stool to find Ella standing there, smiling knowingly. "You go girl!"

Chloe flushed and looked down, tugging at the hem of her dress. Now that Lucifer wasn't here to appreciate it, she felt a little too much on display. "Didn't make him stay though, did it?"

Ella shrugged. "He's run away before, but he always comes back. Can't stay away, apparently," she said with a wink.

"I just wish… I just wish he'd talk to me, y'know? About us. If there even _is _an us anymore." Chloe looked towards the piano, only to see Lucifer staring back at her, before quickly directing his attention elsewhere again.

"Maybe you just need to talk to him somewhere it's not so easy to run away from," Ella suggested helpfully.

In the background Lucifer's talented fingers segwayed into another holiday tune, and her friend grimaced out of nowhere. "That's my cue I guess."

"Cue for what?" Chloe asked, but Ella had already slipped away, disappearing into the crowd. Finishing off the rest of her drink, Chloe went back to the others.

"So, did it work?" said Dan, as soon as she joined them.

"Did what work?" she replied innocently, giving Linda a suspicious look as she tried to decide whether it was her or Ella that had spilled the beans.

"Oh come on, Chlo'," he teased, "You haven't worn that dress in forever and you know it."

Chloe sighed. "I'm not sure."

"Well I am." Dan nodded towards the bar and Chloe turned to find Lucifer's eyes on her once again. The way he was looking at her sent a wave of heat through her body.

Then all of a sudden, the lights dimmed, and a single spotlight focused on the Devil and his piano. She smiled as the crowd fell silent.

She always did love to hear him sing.

He began to play, and a instantly familiar tune rang out into the room, followed by the rich timbre of his voice.

_"It was Christmas Eve, babe, in the drunk tank. An old man said to me…" _

Fairytale of New York; it was her father's favourite Christmas song. Not that there was any way he could have known that of course. Unless... had she mentioned it to him at some point? Maybe she had. He did have an uncanny memory, especially when it came to her and the things she'd said and done over the time they'd known each other. For someone who often appeared as if he wasn't listening, she'd quickly come to realise that when it came to her, he always did.

It was something that meant more to her than he knew.

It wasn't until she heard Lucifer sing _"This year's for me and you…"_ that she started to wonder how exactly he was going to manage both halves of the duet. Perhaps one of the staff would be joining him, it wouldn't be the first time. Or maybe he'd hired someone for just to—

Her train of thought was disrupted, as Lucifer sang the line, _"I love ya, baby," _with such feeling that she felt the words slip into her heart and settle into her very soul. She looked at him, but for the first time, he wasn't looking back at her. A small sliver of doubt crept in then. She was so sure, so _convinced_ that he loved her, even if he would never admit it to her or to himself. But those words… what if they weren't for her. What if they weren't for anybody, not from him. Not now, not ever.

What would she do then?

_"I can see a better time… when all our dreams come true." _

The melody picked up then, and Chloe's attention, much like everybody else's, was drawn to the stairs, where a second spotlight had appeared… and a loud cheer emerged from the crowd as Ella stepped into it.

Chloe looked behind her in surprise at Linda and Dan, but both of them shrugged, smiles wide on their faces as they clapped and shouted. Apparently Ella had managed to keep this a secret from everyone, even them.

She had never heard Ella sing, outside of drunken karaoke of course, which Choe had to admit she only had vague memories of anyway. But although she appeared nervous at first, by time Ella had reached the bottom of the stairs, she was obviously in her element.

Leaning against the piano, her friend couldn't have looked happier as she exchanged lyrics with Lucifer. Chloe laughed quietly to herself, certain that he would have thoroughly enjoyed encouraging her to pick a song within which she would have to tell him he was handsome.

But tonight, he wasn't just handsome, he was beautiful. As he sang with Ella, his face lit up with a joy that she so rarely saw him express. It reminded her of when she'd caught him playing the piano with Father Frank, carefree and exuberant. _She _wanted to make him feel like that, she realised. Every single day she wanted to see that look on his face, to know that his happiness with her would hold the shadows in his life at bay for the short time they had together.

Another loud cheer leapt into the air as the pair reached the chorus; the lyrics neatly changed from NYPD to LAPD choir in an alteration that delighted their audience.

The end of the song drew near, and she found she couldn't take her eyes off Lucifer, enraptured with the sight of him. He must have felt the heat of her gaze, for even with Ella there he turned to look right at her as he sung the last of his lines.

_"Can't make it all alone, I've built my dreams around you…" _

What happened after that she didn't know. One minute she was staring at Lucifer, an unspoken message passing between them, and the next Ella was in front of her, being congratulated by Linda and Dan. With some effort, she managed to drag her focus from the Devil to her friend, and stepped forward to give her a hug.

"You were wonderful!" she said, meaning every word.

"You really think so?" Ella said brightly. "I was dreading it! But Lucifer, well, you know what he's like when he wants something. And he said if I helped that you'd love it, 'cause that song means a lot to you, and… Chloe?"

She'd stopped listening, her eyes clouding over with unshed tears. He did know.

He always knew.

_Maybe you just need to talk to him somewhere it's not so easy to run away from. _

As Ella's earlier words echoed through her head, she had an idea.

An idea that half of her was horrified at the thought of, but the other… well, she decided it was worth the risk. Before she knew it, she was halfway to the piano. Lucifer was still there, a beautiful version of the Christmas Waltz flowing from his fingertips. She slid onto the stool next to him, as she had so many times before.

"Ah... Detective. I trust you've had a good evening?" he asked, continuing to play even as he turned his attention to her.

She hummed in the affirmative. "I should probably get going soon though. Trixie's babysitter offered to stay late, but…"

Disappointment flashed in his eyes for the briefest of moments. "You wish to get back to the spawn. I understand perfectly."

Drawing in a deep breath, she prepared herself for what she was about to do. Sliding her hand down his forearm until it wrapped around his wrist, she gently encouraged him to stop, and the music dissipated. He looked at her, puzzled.

"You could convince me to stay," she whispered.

He didn't answer, and she didn't need him to. Steeling herself, she reached up and pulled the microphone closer, reveling in the way his mouth gaped open slightly as she switched it back on.

Nervously, she started to sing.

_"I really can't stay…" _

Silence. He was still looking at her in astonishment, and she was also getting a few looks from some of the officers in the crowd too.

Fighting back the mortification, she carried on.

_"I have to go away…" _

Lucifer's fingers caught up before his brain did, drifting over the keys as they began to pick out the various notes needed to accompany her.

It suddenly occurred to her then that he might not even know the lyrics. This was going to be horrendously embarrassing if that was the case…

_"This evening has been-" _

_"Been hoping that you'd drop in." _

He sang the words more hesitantly than she'd ever heard him, but the relief that flooded her boosted her confidence, and she smiled at him with affection as she continued, the lyrics perfect for just that moment.

_"So very nice…" _

It didn't take long before the song was in full swing, and they were both grinning like idiots at each other as they worked their way through the duet. He laughed out loud when she swiped his glass during, _"Say what's in this drink?" _and by the time they reached, _"I wish I knew how… to break this spell..." _the rest of the room had fallen away. The way he looked at her during "_Your eyes are like starlight..." _It was divine. Quite literally.

Nothing else existed but him. The music flowed around them, wrapping them both in its embrace as they moved closer to each other. She touched his hand with her own when he sang about how it thrilled him, and he hadn't taken his eyes from her lips from the moment they were mentioned in the song. There was a magnetism between them tonight that she hadn't felt since that night on the balcony.

And all too soon, it was over. Thunderous applause rose up as the music came to an end, and the spell was indeed broken. But not completely. Standing, she held out her hand, and he took it without a second thought.

"Come and have a drink with me," she said softly.

As though in a dream, he followed her. She thought, in that moment, he would have followed her anywhere.

And so that was how they spent the rest of the night, sat in a booth with their friends, laughing and telling stories.

And if he, stretching his arm out along the back of the booth, would sometimes caress her neck or play with her hair, well, she wasn't going to say anything.

And if the hand she'd rested on his leg after sitting down never left, well, he didn't seem to want to say anything either.


End file.
